Make Changes In Your Diet To Fight Ageing: Foods To Control Ageing

The key to ageing gracefully is simple - eat healthy. So make changes in your diet instead of going for Botox for wrinkle treatment, say experts. Tanu Arora, Head Of Department - Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Aakash Healthcare Super Speciality Hospital, and Zodi, senior dietician, Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, have a few suggestions. He suggests to include certain foods in diet, which are rich in vitamins like riboflavin, niacin and cyanocobalamin. Plus, excluding poor quality of food, which causes inflammation and ultimately affects skin, is also important.

Moreover, it is imperative to keep our body hydrated to flush out all the toxins from the body. Dr. Arora suggests to avoid high consumption of sugar and processed carbohydrates as our skin collagen gets damaged; however, intake of foods like fruits and vegetables are good for skin. Deep fried food can add to inflammation. On the other hand, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low fat dairy and lean protein can help fight inflammation. Lettuce, broccoli, spinach, tomato, watermelon, grapefruit, guava, salmon, chickpea, oatmeal and brown rice help in curbing inflammation. A long way to preventing wrinkles is to eat food items like carrots that are loaded with vitamins. 

Adding almonds and walnuts to our diet will help increase Vitamin E, which is known to help fight skin problems. In addition, green tea has powerful antioxidants that protect our skin from damage. Consuming yogurt is also quite beneficial as it has probiotics that nourish skin from inside and outside. 

Dr. Arora also recommends to add honey to our daily diet as it is hygroscopic in nature, plus all berries are healthy antioxidants. They kill radicals that are in bodies, damaging DNA and cells and causing premature ageing. Berries can fight damages caused by environmental pollutants and toxins. Similarly, turmeric acts as antioxidants. You may add it in your milk or food. He also insists on avoiding alcohol as it creates free radicals, which damage cells and accelerates ageing. 

Other than the tips mentioned above, Shilpa Arora (Health Practitioner, Nutritionist and certified Macrobiotic Health Coach) has talks about a few anti-ageing tools that will show you a noticeable difference in just a few weeks:

1. Load Up On Antioxidants

The most powerful anti-ageing tool is antioxidants. The pigments that give food and vegetable their colour are potent antioxidants. Including deep green vegetables like spinach, mustard and fenugreek tin our diet is important. They are packed with polyphenols and chlorophyll. Carotenoids and flavonoids found in most fruits and vegetables help build cell membranes and protect collagen. Always opt for bright red tomatoes, carrots, purple cabbage, beetroot, yellow orange-red capsicum, sweet potatoes and broccoli.

2. Include Seasonal Food To Daily Diet

To optimise phytonutrient content of foods, it is important to fuel yourself with seasonal fruits and vegetables. Opt for organic produce, avoid peeling your fruits as some phytonutrients are concentrated in the skin. Steam or lightly cook to preserve water soluble nutrients. 

3. Consume Good Fats 

Our body can make all the fats it needs except for two essential fatty acids: Linoleic Acid (LA) and Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA). These two are like the team leaders to build strong cell walls for beautiful and well-nourished skin. They are also known to maintain cellular hydration, reduce inflammation and balance blood sugar control. Include flax seed oil in your diet, which comprises all the essential fatty acids for a beautiful complexion and great health. 
Other EFA rich foods are coconut, avocado, walnut, almonds, mustard seeds, pumpkin seed oil and oily coldwater fish. Always remember, EFAs will not make you fat; in fact, they breakdown and eliminate cholesterol and bad fats from your body. EFAs are wonderful wrinkle softeners and moisturise the skin from within.

4. Add Protein-rich Food To Your Diet

Did you know that 98% of our hair, skin and nails are proteins?! Therefore, ample amount of protein would wade off the visible signs of ageing, while protein deficiency can result in premature ageing and even droopy facial muscles. It is advised to include beans and legumes, organic eggs, chicken and fish in your diet, which play havoc on your hormones.

(Inputs from IANS)